So, in case you hadn't noticed, I really like purple carrots. This post sort of explains why and gives some background, hopefully.
For starters, they aren't figments of my imagination. Purple carrots actually exist, though they are not as popular as their orange counterparts. I first came across them at the local farmer's market, when my Dad randomly brought some home. They were good. And purple is my favorite color, so...
Later, I did some research on carrot history and discovered that carrots weren't orange until the 16th century or so. The original carrots, cultivated in the middle east, were mainly purple and yellow, with occasional other varieties of red, white and even black. Orange carrots were bred much later by Dutch scientists and rose to popularity as a national symbol. These are the kind you see in the grocery stores today.
The analogy my brain can't seem to let go of is orange carrots representing the popular people that get recognized and such, while the purple carrots are the creative individuals who are seldom paid attention to and thought of as weird. So when I give you a purple carrot, it means that you're special.
And if I don't, then you're still special because you're still you and that's all that matters.
Sometimes the purple carrot analogy is so strong, I start to cry when someone hasn't heard of them or thinks they're dangerous or bad or something. I understand, though, that I live in a really great area and not everyone has the same privilege of locally-grown produce, so I guess I'm not offended.
